James Anthony SturgessBirths, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.; at ancestry.com (born 16 May 1978) is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His first major role was as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe (2007). He played the male lead role of Ben Campbell in 21 (2008), Gavin Kossef in Crossing Over (2009), The Way Back (2010), and co-starred in the epic science fiction film Cloud Atlas (2012).
Other credits include Stonehearst Asylum (2014), Kidnapping Freddy Heineken and London Fields (both in 2015), Close to the Enemy and Feed the Beast (both in 2016), Geostorm (2017), JT LeRoy (2018), Berlin, I Love You (2019), The Other Me and Alone Together (both in 2022). He also voiced Soren in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) and starred in One Day (2011) opposite Anne Hathaway.
Early and personal life Sturgess was born in Wandsworth, London, but grew up in Farnham, Surrey, where he attended Frensham Heights School. He spent most of his youth skateboarding, and listening to hip-hop. He started his first band when he was about 15 years old, playing gigs in and around his local area. His first acting experience came in a local theatre group, after a successful audition for a part in a play.
Sturgess moved to Manchester to attend the University of Salford, graduating in 1999 with an HND in Media and Performance. After graduating, he moved to London and worked in a shop selling trainers, whilst seeking acting work and writing music.
On 30 July 2019, Sturgess married theatre producer Dina Mousawi in Italy. Their son was born in 2020.
Acting career In 2007, he was cast in Julie Taymor's musical Across the Universe, portraying Jude Feeny, a young man who travels to the US amid the raging throes of the late 1960s and falls in love with a sheltered American teenager, Lucy, played by Evan Rachel Wood. In 2008, he appeared in the historical drama The Other Boleyn Girl, in the supporting role of George Boleyn opposite Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana. He also played the male lead role of Ben Campbell in a film about five MIT students who, by counting cards, take Las Vegas casinos co-starring Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne, in 21.
In 2009, he played Gavin Kossef in Crossing Over, appearing with Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd. Set in Los Angeles, the story revolves around immigrants from different countries and backgrounds who share a common bond: they are all desperately trying to gain legal-immigrant status. Also in 2009, he starred as Martin McGartland in Kari Skogland's Fifty Dead Men Walking, alongside Ben Kingsley.
Heartless, a film directed by Philip Ridley, premiered on 31 August 2009 at the London FrightFest Film Festival, a popular horror film festival. Sturgess appears as Jamie Morgan, a young man whose life has always been blighted by the large, heart-shaped port wine birthmark on his face and sells his soul to the devil. Sturgess won the Best Actor Award at the 2010 Fantasporto Film Festival for his role.
In 2010, Sturgess starred in the film The Way Back, directed by Peter Weir and based on a true story. The character Sturgess plays is based on Sławomir Rawicz, a young Polish officer who escaped from a Russian gulag during World War II. Also in 2010, he did voice-over work based on the children's book series Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky, in which he voiced Soren, the main protagonist of director Zack Snyder's 3D animated feature film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
In May 2010, Sturgess signed on to appear in One Day, based on the novel of the same title by David Nicholls) with Anne Hathaway. He played the role of Dexter Mayhew. The novel, about two students who meet on 15 July 1988, follows them on every 15 July for the next 20 years. Directed by Lone Scherfig, filming was completed on 17 September 2010. Also during 2010, he filmed Upside Down. Filming was completed in May 2010 in Montreal, and as of early 2013 a limited international release was planned. Described as a "sci-fi romance", the film is the second full-length feature from writer and director Juan Diego Solanas. It was originally slated for release in 2011, A third film project in 2010 was Promised Land, to be directed by Michael Winterbottom and, according to Variety, would "recount the lead up to the 1948 partition of Palestine and the subsequent creation of the state of Israel". Sturgess was to star as a British officer hunting down the extremist Jewish factions. The film was put on hiatus and later got cancelled because funding could not be secured.
In March and April 2011, filming took place for Ashes, a film directed by Mat Whitecross. The picture has been described as a contemporary film noir thriller starring Ray Winstone and Lesley Manville along with Sturgess. Filmed in the Isle of Man, the production was partially funded by the band Coldplay, university friends of the director. Sturgess performed six roles working alongside Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in the 2012 science fiction film Cloud Atlas.
During 2012, he worked on two films: Giuseppe Tornatore's The Best Offer (original title 'La Migliore Offerta') was filmed during the spring in Prague, Vienna, and several cities in Italy. Co-starring Geoffrey Rush and Sylvia Hoeks, the film went on to win the David di Donatello Award for Best Film. In the autumn, Sturgess went to Los Angeles to film Electric Slide, directed by Tristan Patterson and co-starring Isabel Lucas and Chloë Sevigny. An official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival, it premiered there in 2014 as part of the Viewpoint selections.
In the last half of 2013, Sturgess worked in three films. The first was Stonehearst Asylum, co-starring Kate Beckinsale and directed by Brad Anderson, in the summer. He appeared in the Mathew Cullen-directed London Fields, based on the novel by Martin Amis, co-starring Amber Heard and Billy Bob Thornton. The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival but it was later pulled out because of legal dispute between Cullen and the investors. He portrayed Dutch criminal Cor van Hout in Kidnapping Freddy Heineken, filmed in Belgium and New Orleans, directed by Daniel Alfredson and co-starring Sam Worthington and Anthony Hopkins.
In 2016, he starred as Callum Ferguson in the BBC Two drama Close to the Enemy, alongside Freddie Highmore and Phoebe Fox. The same year he had a main role as Dion Patras, a drug-fuelled chef, alongside David Schwimmer in the television series Feed the Beast. In 2017, he starred as Max Lawson in Geostorm, alongside Ed Harris and Gerard Butler.
Sturgess starred in the 2025 miniseries Mix Tape with Teresa Palmer.
Music career
Sturgess has been writing and performing his own music since the age of 15. He has appeared in the London music scene for many years in bands such as Saint Faith, and Dilated Spies. He has also written music for some of his films, including two tracks that he wrote and performed for Crossing Over, and he collaborated with director Philip Ridley on three tracks that appeared in the film Heartless. Mickey O'Brien, his ex-girlfriend and member of La Roux, was the composer of the trailer track "Panic And Magic" and Sturgess provided the vocals.
In 2016, he released five exclusive demos with his band Tragic Toys, to raise funds for a friend with an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis. The music for these demos were written by O'Brien and Sturgess provided the vocals.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 Bryant 2005 Mouth to Mouth Red 2007 Across the Universe Jude Feeny 2008 George Boleyn 21 Ben Campbell Fifty Dead Men Walking Martin McGartland 2009 Crossing Over Gavin Kossef Heartless Jamie Morgan 2010 Janusz Wieszczek Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Soren Voice role 2011 One Day Dexter Mayhew 2012 Ashes James Cloud Atlas Various roles Upside Down Adam Kirk 2013 Robert 2014 Electric Slide Eddie Dodson Stonehearst Asylum Edward Newgate 2015 Kidnapping Freddy Heineken Cor van Hout London Fields Keith Talent 2017 Geostorm Max Lawson 2018 JT LeRoy Geoffrey Knoop 2019 Berlin, I Love You Jared Segment: "Berlin Ride" 2022The Other Me Irakli Alone Together Charlie 2024 Apartment 7A Alan Marchand 2027 Vernon Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 1999 Erik 2 episodes 2000 Thursday the 12th Martin Bannister Television film Other People's Children Barry Episode 1.2 2001 Banjo Episode 1.1 Heartbeat Robert Episode: "The Long Weekend" Hawk Shop Assistant Miniseries 2002 Young Charlie Television film Judge John Deed Gary Patterson Episode: "Abuse of Power" 2003 A Touch of Frost Laurence Burrell Episode: "Close Encounters" Rehab Daryll Television film 2004 Young Charlie Television film Television film 2005 Ryan Episode: "Friends Reunited" 2016 Close to the Enemy Callum Ferguson Miniseries Feed the Beast Dion Patras Main role 2018 Hard Sun Charlie Hicks Main role 2020–2021 Home Before Dark Matthew Lisko Main role 2025 Mix Tape Daniel O'Toole Miniseries The Stolen Girl Fred Bix Miniseries
Discography Soundtracks Year Song Credits / Notes Film/Soundtrack2007 "Girl" Across the Universe "All My Loving" "With A Little Help From My Friends"(with Joe Anderson)"I've Just Seen A Face""Dear Prudence"(with Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs & Evan Rachel Wood)"Because"(with Joe Anderson, T. V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy & Evan Rachel Wood)"Something""Strawberry Fields Forever"(with Joe Anderson)"Revolution""Across the Universe""All You Need Is Love"(with T. V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs & Martin Luther McCoy)2008 "Lost Everything" 212009 "Mistake The Enemy"(Writer and performer) Crossing Over "Make Your Mind Up"(Writer and performer) "Hine ma tov"(Traditional) "Heartless" Heartless "The Other Me" "Panic and Magic"(O'Brien/Stoney/Sturgess) [Inspired by the film Heartless]
Awards and nominations Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2008Teen Choice AwardsChoice Movie: Male Breakout Star 21 and Across the UniverseVancouver Film Critics CircleBest Actor in a Canadian FilmFifty Dead Men Walking 2009 Seattle International Film Festival Golden Space Needle Award – Best Actor 14th Empire Awards Empire Award for Best Newcomer2010 Fantasporto Film Festival international Fantasy Film – Best actorHeartless2013 CinEuphoria Awards Best Supporting Actor – International Cloud Atlas2016 National Film Awards UK Best Breakthrough Performance in a FilmKidnapping Freddy Heineken
Notes 1.From the soundtrack 21 – Original Motion Picture Score, not to be confused with the film's other soundtrack Music From The Motion Picture 21.
See also
List of people from London List of British actors List of singer-songwriters
References
External links
Official Demo Reel by Lamedia Works Jim Sturgess talks about his music tastes Jim Sturgess interview at Reviewgraveyard.com